


Life in a Whirlwind

by sunspot (unavoidedcrisis)



Category: Leverage
Genre: Coitus Interruptus, Established Relationship, F/M, Ferrets, Long-Suffering Eliot Spencer, Multi, Parker Being Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:47:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29031891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unavoidedcrisis/pseuds/sunspot
Summary: "I saw a guy with a ferret!" Parker says in lieu of an actual explanation. Or maybe that is the actual explanation. Hard to say.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 14
Kudos: 39
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	Life in a Whirlwind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [temporalheadache](https://archiveofourown.org/users/temporalheadache/gifts).



The job is slow and, frankly, a little boring.

Eliot's on edge anyway.

He never really lets himself relax on a job, because that's tantamount to getting someone killed or worse, but this time it seems more… sinister. Like something's _coming._

"I've got the satellite in position," Hardison chirps in his ear.

"Good," says Nate.

"I'm almost in the right place," Parker says. She sounds out of breath, which she really shouldn't be.

"You okay, Parker?" Hardison asks.

"I saw a guy with a ferret!" she says in lieu of an actual explanation. Or maybe that is the explanation. Hard to say.

"Seriously? That's awesome," Hardison says. Eliot rolls his eyes, hard enough he feels the strain.

"Focus," Sophie and Nate say at the same time.

"Ferret was eating a tangerine," Parker says in an undertone.

The chatter quiets down and Eliot can refocus on keeping lookout. The street is basically empty from this angle, though he hears street noise around the corner.

He's still on high alert an hour later and it's starting to give him a headache.

"Are we nearly done?" he asks.

"Wow, Mister Growly," Hardison retorts. "I've got all I need, but I do not like that tone."

Eliot ignores him. "Nate?"

"Ten minutes. Or twelve. Depends on the bike messenger."

It's not been ten minutes when, with no warning at all, the sky opens and rain starts pouring. Eliot groans. It's likely what was giving him the 'something's coming' feeling, but honestly, as his hair sticks to his forehead and his jean jacket soaks through in seconds, he'd rather a fist fight.

The nine blocks to the hotel they're staying at seems like forever, even at a jog. His shoes squish across the elegant lobby as he heads to the room.

"A bit wet?" asks Hardison, leaning by the bank of elevators.

Eliot scowls. "Yeah, a bit." He leans in and wipes his wet face on the front of Hardison's tee shirt. Hardison yelps and jerks back, but he laughs after a moment.

"Let's get you warmed up," he suggests once they're alone in the elevator.

Eliot shrugs. "I'm wet, not cold."

" _Warmed up,_ " Hardison says again with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"God," Eliot sighs, exasperated.

Parker's waiting for them when they open the door to the room. "Aww, wet Eliot."

Hardison chuckles as Parker starts peeling Eliot out of wet denim before he gets a say in the matter. He would have agreed anyways.

When they get him down to skin, Hardison kisses him carefully, almost tentatively, and Parker kisses him deeply and sweetly, like it's the only thing on her mind when she does it. It's a very distinct difference, though Eliot doesn't know what it means.

"Shower?" Parker says, already directing them towards the bathroom.

Eliot tries to protest again that he's not really cold, but the spray is hot and soothing and Parker presses herself to his back and wraps her arms around his hips. He turns in her arms and presses a firm kiss to her forehead as the steam starts circling. It's a moment of calm. Of course that means something's missing.

"Hardison?" Parker calls. He must have gotten lost somewhere while they were shedding clothing and cranking the shower.

"Hey, was just checking something," he says. Probably the room's security, knowing him. He never relaxes unless they're at his and Parker's place, or Eliot's, or Nate's.

He gingerly steps in on Eliot's other side. "That's hot."

"Thanks," Parker says.

"I meant the water. But I mean, yeah, that too. Seriously, I mean it. Look at you two."

Eliot rolls his eyes as Parker preens under the attention. Even in the fairly luxurious shower, there's not enough space for three of them to be comfortable, so they're cramped together. Hardison's arms snake around his waist, tangling with Parker's, reaching for her like Eliot's only a small obstacle between them. He must realize, because he nuzzles at the back of Eliot's neck, brushing his hair to one side to get more skin to drag his lips and teeth over.

"I'm getting cold, you two are hogging the water," Parker says a few minutes later. "Besides, there's stuff we can do in a bed that we can't do upright."

"We've proven we can do pretty anything upright," Hardison points out. "Remember in Lincoln?"

Eliot chuckles at the memory. "And we thought Nebraska was only memorable for the corn."

"And having more rivers than anyone else," Hardison adds.

"I thought Pittsburgh had the most rivers?" Parker asks. She takes the biggest towel and hands the other to Hardison. Eliot's left to dry off with a hand towel.

"Pittsburgh's not a state, Parker."

"Since when?!" She flips her wet hair up into a towel, wrapping it up on top of her head, and leaving the bathroom, clearly expecting them to follow. They do.

"Since it's never been a state?" Hardison says.

Parker sighs disgustedly.

"Oh, and I meant to tell you. Ferrets can't eat tangerines."

"Well, I saw it," she says, beckoning Eliot over. She untucks the towel from his waist, letting it drop to the floor. She makes that face, the little scrunched up nose, that he will forever find too cute to be sexy, yet she does it every time one of 'her boys' gets naked.

"I believe you," Hardison says, taking Eliot's hair in his hand again. He smoothes it back from Eliot's forehead and puts it up in a messy little knot. Eliot groans and leans into the sensation. "But they're not supposed to. Citrus is like, bad for them."

"What?!" Parker yelps. "You mean that guy was making his ferret sick?"

"Parker, focus," Eliot says. Hardison's back to biting at his neck and the hot shower had really done its job loosening him up and he was kind of in the mood. Bed was Parker's idea. They've had a long job and deserved a little R&R... No argument is going to work; they'd already lost her attention.

"We have to find that guy and tell him. He probably doesn't even know."

It takes Hardison almost three hours to track the guy down. They order Thai food in the meantime and watch him work.

When the guy gives them attitude, probably because it's nearly midnight, Parker lets herself in a side window and comes back with the ferret.

"You don't think it's a bit much? Taking a guy's pet?" Eliot privately thinks it's exactly enough; the guy was a dick. But he's having visions of being the only one cleaning up after the stinky little fursnake.

"He said he knew better than the internet," Parker says. "No one knows better than the internet."

"Damn right," Hardison agrees. "Besides, I read it in an article from a veterinary journal."

"And you know it's not allowed in the hotel, right?" Eliot says, eyeing the long, furry tube hanging in Parker's arms.

"He. Wait… Yeah, he. Anyways, we're leaving in the morning."

"Not gonna ask how you know the difference," Hardison says, also eyeing the animal.

"I know stuff," Parker says, kissing the ferret's tiny nose. 

It, or rather, _he_ sleeps in the bed with them, splayed across Parker's chest. No one gets sex. It felt weird, even bringing it up, with the ferret's little beady eyes watching.

Eliot lies awake and listens to Hardison and the ferret snoring in harmony and with Parker's hand pressing lightly into his shoulder. The entire day's been a complete whirlwind he's trying to piece together -- unsuccessfully.

But that's every day with them, part of his brain says. Whirlwind, breakneck, racing from one thing to the next and suddenly they own a ferret, who will never be allowed to eat another tangerine. Eliot feels a rush of gratitude for all of it.

He raises Parker's hand to his mouth and kisses her fingertips. He'd kiss Hardison too, if it wouldn't wake everyone up.

In the morning, there's a ferret in his hair and his jean jacket is still wet because he forgot to hang it up. Some of Eliot's gratitude fades, but ultimately, he still wouldn't trade any of it.

(Not even the ferret.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Phnee for beta-ing. Thanks to responsible ferret owners everywhere. Thanks to the state of Nebraska and the great state of Pittsburgh.


End file.
